William woolf



(No Model.)

W. WOOLP.

RING FOR HOLDING 0R CARRYING CURTAINS. No. 679,912.

Patented Mar. 30. 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT EETcE.

WILLIAM \VOOLF, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

RING FOR HOLDING OR CARRYING CURTAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,912, dated March 30, 1897.

Application filed June 15, 1895. $erial No. 562,938. (No model.) Patented in England January 30, 1895, No. 2,147.

To (Lil: whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WOOLF, manufacturer, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at 41 Featherstone Street, in

the city of London, England, have invented certain Improvements in Rings for Holding or Carrying Curtains and other Objects, (patented in England January 30,1895, No. 2,147,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more especially to rings for holding or carrying curtains and other objects, which consist of two halves or parts of rings, two of the adjacent ends of which are hinged together, while the other two adjacent ends can be separated to an extent not only sufficient to receive the curtain or other object to be passed between them, but also to enable the opened ring to be passed over the pole or rod.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a sectional elevation of a ring constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation taken on line no a: of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, an elevation showing the same ring in its open position.

I make the ring in two halves or parts A A* and hinge or otherwise flexibly connect these halves or parts together at one point, as at B, for example, somewhat in the usual way, leaving the ends which are not hinged together free to be separated to any extent necessary to enable the ring to be passed over or round a pole, rod, or other point of attachment. These free ends of the half-rings may be provided with thumb-pieces or palms E E, by means of which the pin G in the half-ring A may be more readily forced through the curtain and into the hole G in the end of the other half-ring A*.

In order to hold the free ends of the halves or parts of rings A A* firmly together when in the closed position, I provide a sliding bolt or keeper L at the point where the two halves are hinged together. This bolt or keeper is preferably of segmental shape, corresponding more or less nearly to the curvature of the ring, and is adapted to slide back more or less completely into one of the half-rings A*, for example, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, when it is desired to open the ring; but when the ring is closed and it is desired to lock the two halves or parts together, so that the free ends cannot separate, the bolt or keeper L is slid forward, so that one portion of it is situated in one half or part of the ring and the other portion in the other half or part of the ring, thus crossing the junction of the hinged or otherwise flexibly connected parts, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and when the bolt or keeper L is so placed the two parts of the ring cannot be turned on their hinge B or other flexible connections, and consequently the ring cannot be opened until the bolt or keeper L is slid back. The bolt or keeper L may be moved by any suitable means, as by the thumb-piece M, for example, projecting through a slot N in the ring. By suitably shaping the bolt or keeper L it may be made to exert, when in the locked position, a pressure or wedging action on the two halves or parts of the ring, which tends to force their free ends into close contact.

In Fig. 1 the curvature of the inner edge of the bolt or keeper L is shown' to be of a slightly-smaller radius than the part of the ring against which it acts, whereby the front and back parts L and L only of the bolt or keeper are pressed against the parts of the ring by the action of the wedge-shaped part L of the bolt or keeper against the part A of the ring, and the parts are thereby held steadily together.

The bolt or keeper L may be placed inside the ring when the latter is tubular or hollow,

as shown in the drawings, or it may be arranged to slide in suitable guides outside the same, especially when the ring is solid.

It is obvious that rings constructed in the manner above described may be employed for other purposes besides the holding or carrying of curtains. For example, they may be used for holding or carrying keys by passing the bows thereof between the separated free ends of the half-rings and then threading them onto the ring, so that when the free ends are closed together the keys are securely held on the ring, and generally the ring may be used for holding or carrying any object or objects to which it may be applicable.

I claim- In a ring for holding or carrying curtains and other objects, made in two parts hinged or otherwise flexibly connected together, the locking device which consists of a curved In witness hereof I have hereunto set my sliding bolt 01- keeper L adapted to be passed hand in presence of two Witnesses.

in substantially the are of curvature of the 1-111 across the said hin e 01' flexible eonnee- T {T w lilol l 0f the two parts $11611 they are to be ILLIAM OOLI" 5 held in the closed position, and to be With- \Vitnesses:

J QSEPH LAKE,

drawn into one of the parts when it is desired to open the ring, substantially as described. STEPHEN EDWARD GUNYON. 

